


bit by bit molded

by 1001cranes



Series: Critical Role Regency Nonsense [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Regency, F/M, Meet the Family, Regency Romance, vex is having EMOTIONS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 04:23:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13380090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1001cranes/pseuds/1001cranes
Summary: The morning Percy was due back in Whitestone, a message arrived from Syngorn.





	bit by bit molded

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a long, complex outsider POV tale of Percy&Vex's whirlwind romance but HERE WE ARE 
> 
>  
> 
> I started this WAY BACK WHEN so canon has been lovingly cannibalized. 
> 
> Ages are squishy, so I have imagined that Julius-Vesper-Percy are 18+, and rather close together age-wise, with the four younger siblings being a bit more spaced out, for two reasons: one, the whole ‘heir and the spare’ thing, and two, because that’s what my family is like. fite me.

The morning Percy was due back in Whitestone, a message arrived from Syngorn. Father read it and started laughing. He laughed for so long and so loud that everyone else stopped eating their breakfast, and Mother leaned forward to snatch the letter from his hand.  

“Oh dear,” she said, and pressed one hand to her chest. “That---”

“Is Percy alright?” Whitney asked. Cassandra didn’t think that Father would be laughing, if something had happened, but stress could do strange things to people, she had heard.

“He’s fine,” Mother said firmly. “He’s wonderful.”

“He’s married!” Father boomed, and conversation around the breakfast table exploded. 

| |

“He’s barely old enough to be married,” Whitney said later that afternoon. She picked at her embroidery sullenly; time for daily embroidery had been her compromise with Mother after running off their last harpsichord tutor.  “And he hasn’t even been gone a week!” 

“It’s not very like Percy,” Cassandra agreed. She was dutifully stitching the pattern that had been lightly sketched out on the fabric in front of her. She didn’t care much for embroidery either, but she was of the mind that picking and choosing battles with Mother was a better use of her time. “They must be in love!”

Percy was not as naturally serious as Vesper or Mother, but he was certainly one of the more level-headed of their family. The most surprising thing Percy did was accidentally blow up his basement workshop now and again, and even that happened regularly enough to seem almost scheduled. A whirlwind romance! Percy! It was nearly unbelievable. 

“Or he did something  _ stupid _ ,” Whitney hissed, and Vesper put down her own embroidery to fix Whitney with a stern look that wouldn’t have seemed out of place on a gargoyle. 

“Whitney  Fredericks datter! Don’t say such things. You haven’t any proof that something happened, and once such a rumor gets started, it very rarely dies.” Vesper picked her hoop back up. “If Mother heard you say such things, she’d wash your mouth out with soap.”

Whitney only became more sullen, if anything, and Cassandra sighed.

| |

In the following days, the entire household worked itself into a near frenzy; the news of Percy’s wedding spread quickly from the immediate de Rolo family to throughout the castle, and then Whitestone itself. An announcement was made, the family banners flown, and Father promised there would be a celebration.

“We could hold it during the springtime festival,” Father said, stroking his beard. “Or is that not done, beloved? Should we make sure to hold a separate event?”

“Let’s see what Percy wants,” Mother demurred. “We can certainly make an announcement at the springtime festival either way.”   
  
| | 

It was only a few days journey from Syngorn to Whitestone; Percy had written once to say he and his new wife would be in the city for a day or two, and then headed to Whitestone to stay. He had written very little of his new wife, or her family, or  _ anything.  _

“Her name is Vex’ahlia Vessar,” Julius repeated dutifully, when they others pestered him. “She’s a half-elf; her mother is human, and her father is an elf. A noble of minor standing, I believe, and a diplomat for Syngorn. She met Percy at her coming out ball --”

“I thought elves didn’t do such things?” Oliver interrupted. 

Julius shrugged. “Perhaps because she’s only half-elf, then. It certainly worked.”

“She must be beautiful,” Whitney said, enviously. “How would Percy have even noticed her otherwise!” 

They all snickered. It was true, of course it must be. Percy -- their shy scholar, their tinker -- often forgot to come up for dinner and frequently did so covered in soot. He was scarcely the sort of person to get caught up in a whirlwind romance, so caught him up she must have. 

“I wonder if she’ll like it here,” Cassandra said. “It’s so much colder than Syngorn, I’m sure. And there are hardly any elves.”

“I think she’ll do alright, if she married Percy,” Julius said, frankly. “I’m not sure anyone would do that purely on whim.”

| |

On the morning Percy and his wife were to arrive, the whole family  convened at the airship port -  a small army of de Rolos, a sea of tall figures with dark hair and light eyes, wrapped in furs, and chattering amongst themselves nervously. 

You could often hear an airship before you saw it; there was a low hum from the east before the edge of the airship from Syngorn even appeared. It took another thirty minutes for it to arrive, and Oliver fairly vibrated off the platform in excitement.

It was easy enough to see when Percy appeared on the ship’s deck - his blue coat was quite bright, and his profile familiar. The woman who appeared next to him was what they’d all come to see. 

Vex’ahlia had dark hair as well - even darker than Percy’s perhaps, and lots of it, spun back into braids. As she walked down the gangplank, arm tucked around Percy’s, it became easier to see the slighted pointed ears, the dark brown eyes. She was wearing a little coat with fur trim, and shivered in the cold.

“She’s pretty,” Ludwig whispered. He was just at the age where he was beginning to notice whether or not girls were pretty, and he certainly wasn’t wrong.

She was  _ beautiful _ , Cassandra thought. Graceful. Somehow Percy suddenly seemed grown up, next to her - as though becoming someone’s husband had all of a sudden turned him into an adult, right before their eyes. How very strange it was!

Mother and Father stepped forward. There was a frenzied murmur of introductions, of hands held, and bows, and curtsies...

“Lady Vex’ahlia--

“Oh, call me Vex, please,” she said. Her voice rang out clearly over the small crowd, like a bell. She had a faint accent, Cassandra thought. Syngornian? Elvish? Could that be the same thing? “Everyone does.”

“Vex.” Mother’s smile grew warmer. “Please allow me to officially welcome you to Whitestone.”

A small pile of luggage was slowly accumulating on the ground behind them. There was Percy’s trunk, of course, with the crest of Whitestone, and then a more ragtag bunch of trunks and boxes, all colors. Cassandra supposed most people would not have a matching set on hand, if they were married and moved house within a week.

Father cleared his throat. “Will the rest of your things be arriving from Syngorn on the next ship?”

“This is most of it, I’m afraid,” Vex continued, cheerfully. “Well, that and Trinket.”

“Trinket?”

Percy winced. 

And the entire family watched in astonishment as a large brown bear lumbered off the airship.

“Trinket!” Vex cooed, and proceeded to scratch the bear behind its ears, though she was nearly on her tiptoes to do so. “He’s no trouble at all, I assure you. He may as well be a very large dog.”

“He is… very well trained,” Percy said begrudgingly.

Ludwig pushed forward. “Can I pet him?”

“May I pet him,” Mother said, faintly.

“ _ May  _ I pet him?” 

“Of course, little one! Trinket, darling, get down,” Vex said cheerfully, and Trinket  _ whumped _ , and sat. “Now, you must be Ludwig, of course. Trinket, this is Ludwig. Ludwig, Trinket.” 

The entire family watched, astonished, as Trinket held out his hand to shake.

“Trinket,” Ludwig said, shaking Trinket’s paw very seriously. “I think we are going to be very good friends.”

“I think,” Father said, “We’re going to need another carriage back to the castle.”

| |

 

 

 

“You’re our first new sister!” Cassandra said, then wrinkled her nose. “Percy is the first of us to marry, you see, so you’re the first new sister-in-law, but that takes so long to say.”

“I haven’t any sisters,” Vex said. “Or sister-in-laws. Just one brother.”

“Well, now you have a few,” Cassandra said firmly. “Thought I wouldn’t blame you for not wanting them.” Goodness knows Whitney had been as pleasant as a winter’s cold.

  
  
  
  


“Oh, I’m sure Vax will come visit at some point, though we should do our best to keep him away from everyone.” Vex rolled her eyes. “He’s an irredeemable flirt.”

“ _ Vax _ ?” Percy looked appalled. “My dear, your brother dresses like an undertaker and has all the subtlety of a brick to the face.”

“Well, he didn’t  _ like  _ you. He’s charming when he wants to be.”

Percy hmmphed, and settled back in his chair. 

Vex patted him on the arm. “Don’t take it personally, darling - he was fully prepared to hate everyone at the ball, I assure you.”

Percy’s face softened in a way that had Vesper rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. 

  
  
  


"Only you," Cassandra said, "would be sent to a ball and come back a week late with a *wife*.”

Percy smirked. That was the word for it, Cassandra was very certain - a  _ smirk _ . 

“Ugh,” she said. “Please stop whatever is happening to your face.”

“What could possibly be happening to my face?” 

“It’s insufferably smug.”

“I’m very happy,” Percy said, and then his face did a strange sort of twitch - like it was stuck between smugness and happiness, and Cassandra could feel herself beaming in response. 

“I can’t decide if I want to hug you or throw up.”

“As long as it’s not both simultaneously.”

  
  
  
  


“They can’t stay in Percy’s rooms forever,” Father said. “We could move Ludwig and Oliver into the East Wing--”

“Ludwig will throw a fit, of course --”

“Well, it would only be  _ temporary-- _ ”

  
  
  
  


“It’s a surprise!” Father said, booming. “Do you like it?”

Vex looked puzzled. “I… I’m sorry, what’s a surprise?”

“The house!”

Vex’s eyebrows flew to the top of her forehead. “A-- a house?  _ This _ house? For… us?”

“It’s not entirely ready inside,” Mother said apologetically. The outside hadn’t been kept up; small wonder Vex seemed so put off. “We didn’t expect to need it so soon, of course. Percy rather surprised us - not that you aren’t a wonderful surprise! - but there wasn’t  _ nearly _ enough lead time to get everything done, I’m afraid--”

Vex burst into tears.

“Oh.” 

Well, Cassandra thought, the house wasn’t that bad, certainly!

“Is it…” Julius asked delicately. “Would you prefer to stay in the castle?”

“No - no, it’s lovely,” Vex said, still crying. “It’s the loveliest gift anyone has ever given me!” 

Percy was doing his best to comfort Vex while shooting the entire family a look that seemed to be saying, as best as Cassandra could tell,  _ please move on and ignore my weeping wife _ . 

“Uhh,” Ludwig said eloquently. “Should I go get Trinket?”

“Perhaps you could all go inside,” Percy said. “And give us a moment.”

“No, darling, it's all right,” Vex said, sniffing. She straightened up a little, Percy’s arms still around her shoulders, and turned to look at them. “It’s wonderful, the house is wonderful, I just-- you see, my father...” She paused for a moment. “My parents did not have a… happy marriage. After my mother died, I only had my brother for a very long time. To have found Percy, who makes me so happy - to have gotten all of  _ you _ in the bargain --” She looked as though she were about to burst into tears again. “You’ve been so kind to me, I simply can’t--”

“Oh, _Vex_ ,” Mother said, and rushed forward to hug her. In a moment that was all any of them was a doing -- a pile of limbs and furs and sniffles.

“I  _ told _ you,” Cassandra heard herself say. “I  _ told  _ you you were our sister now!”

“Yes, well,” Vex said laughingly, face buried somewhere near Vesper’s armpit, “I suppose I’m a little slow on the uptake.”


End file.
